Wood and coal have been a principle source of fuel for hundreds of years. In modern times, petroleum has become a primary commodity for the generation of energy. Petroleum has had the advantages of relatively low cost and ease of transportation and storage because of its liquid consistency. Further, petroleum is readily amenable to fractionation and conversion into a variety of valuable industrial products such as fuels, building products, chemical intermediates, and the like.
International political developments have led to increase in the price of crude oil. The consumption of petroleum has been increasing exponentially and concomitantly the readily available world petroleum supply has diminished. Governments and industrial concerns are dedicating increased attention to alternatives to petroleum as sources for fuels and chemical intermediates.
In recent years, the world has seen many innovations in “green” technologies, including methods for making synthetic fuels for transportation and heat utilizing the enzymatic and bacterial decomposition of cellulose and starch material to ethanol or similar alkanol products. Vegetable oils of many varied plant sources have been converted to alkyl esters. Although these processes are clean and environmental friendly and can provide an alternative source of synthetic fuel, the use of edible plants may lead to the increase of prices in the food supply. Moreover, some of these plants require high energy costs during the planting, harvesting, and processing phases.
New programs are being developed for the provision of carbonaceous fuel products that complement and enhance conventional petroleum or coal-derived energy sources. Processes for liquefying coal or the gasification and then condensation of other carbon-containing materials have been proposed. However, these processes have not been deemed to be fully satisfactory for various cost or environmental reasons. Thus, there remains a pressing need for new technology that can deliver high quality fuels at economically and environmentally favorable levels, while maintaining atmospheric carbon neutrality. The methods of the present invention are directed toward these, as well as other, important ends.